China to build $1bn Gallic-themed 'film city' and Cannes-style festival

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/23/china-plans-cannes-style-film-festival-tourist-centre

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China plans to create an ambitious $1bn Cannes-style film festival in the eastern coastal province of Zheijiang, according to China Daily.

Chinese authorities are teaming with counterparts in the French city, which has hosted the event since 1946, to bring a similar festival to the county of Anji. The aim is to build a Gallic-themed "film city" and tourist centre in one of China's most scenic regions, which is known for its bamboo forests and is a pilot region for green building. (It produces 12m commerical bamboo poles annually and boasts China's largest bamboo nursery.)

Xiao Wunan, of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, told China Daily that the program was aimed at establishing a milestone for film in the world's most populous nation. "This film festival should also maintain strong Chinese features. We hope this program can push China's film industry to a higher level."

Anji was only connected to the Chinese national network of highways between 2000 and 2002, and it remains one of the country's less-developed regions. However, it now takes fewer than three hours to reach Shanghai by car and the area has increasingly attracted investment from China and abroad.

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